Stuck
by RenaissanceGrrl
Summary: Kari and Davis go to the DigiWorld to see what's going on after the last battle and find--well--nothing. But a storm in the real world leaves them stuck together in the DigiWorld...overnight! Will Kari admit her true feelings?


DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. I just like to torture them. Please don't sue. I also do not own lime Tic Tacs, but I'm giving them some free advertising. I love 'em!  
  
Authoress's Notes: Yeah, I know. I switched from the American names to using the Japanese and using the American names as nicknames. I had to, for my fic set five years before 01, or I couldn't have had that scene with Izzy getting his nickname. And, now...I just *like* them. And, also, I know, even if I use Japanese I still use Kamiya instead of Yagami. I just like the way Kamiya sounds. More pleasing to the ear, more elegant. (Yeah, I think Kamiya sounds elegant. So sue me.) ^_^** This fic takes place, uh...during episode 50! Ya know, it spans 25 years! Surely *something* happened besides everyone settling into careers.  
  
  
Hikari Kamiya slammed her locker shut. "You know, I never thought it would be a relief to get back into school."  
Miyako Inoue nodded. "Yeah. I thought that things would *never* get back to normal after we defeated MaloMyotismon. I mean, here it is almost February, and the world is still getting over something that happened just after Christmas."  
"I just hate that we'll have to do an extra month before summer vacation," Hikari sighed, leaning against the locker.  
"I couldn't agree more!" another voice chimed in.  
"Hi, Davis," Miyako said.  
"Hi, Yolei, hi, Kari." Daisuke Motomiya flashed a grin in Hikari's direction.  
Hikari pretended that she hadn't seen it. "So, Yolei, are you doing anything after school?"  
"Yeah. Homework. Then I have to go to work, down in the store. What about you?"  
"I don't have plans, unfortunately. I don't want to go home. Mom is trying to be all nice to Gatomon and Agumon, and if I have to listen to her being super-sweet, or hear them complain anymore, I'm gonna go nuts."  
Daisuke nodded. "I know whatcha mean. My mom is kind of weirded out, too. Jun is the one who's doing okay. She thinks DemiVeemon is cute. She asked if I'd pay her to baby-sit him."  
Miyako laughed. "So what did you tell her?"  
"That Mom would do it for free and she could help out. Hey, I was thinking of going to the DigiWorld after school to see what's going on."  
"Probably nothing," Miyako said. "I mean, Oikawa fixed everything."  
"He did a great job, too," Hikari agreed. "I mean, how cool is it that we don't have to keep our digimon a secret from our families?"  
"It was almost easier to keep Poromon secret than it is to have to stop my sibs from arguing over who gets to play with him," Miyako sighed--but brightened immediately. "But, for the first time, I have something all to myself. I have final say when it comes down to it."  
A bell rang, and the threesome hurriedly scrambled for their classrooms.  
  
Hikari stared at her math book. Takeru was sitting across from her, and Daisuke was sitting in front of Takeru. The two were passing notes. Something had happened--they'd become friends. And not just casual friends--best friends. For some reason, Daisuke had finally quit placing the blame for his failure to attract Hikari on Takeru, and it made a difference between the two. Takeru didn't rib him as much--or at least, not in the same way. Suddenly, they got along.  
Hikari sighed. Now that they were friends, she felt a little left out. Takeru had been, at one time, her best friend, and she was losing out to Daisuke. The last few times she'd called Takeru, he'd had plans with Daisuke--if he'd been at home.  
And Daisuke still had that crush on her. She'd long since given up hoping it would pass--although, since the Oikawa thing, he didn't seem to push as much. Still, she wasn't sure what to do with it. She didn't want him to have it, but she didn't want to flat-out refuse him and hurt him. For one, that wouldn't do anything good for her concerning Takeru, and she was too compassionate at heart to do something so mean.  
Not that she was intent on scoring brownie points with Takeru. She was sure that after he got used to having a guy best friend, he'd remember her and start spending time with her and doing stuff with her again. He'd learn to divide his time between her and Daisuke.  
No, getting in his good graces was not an objective--she just plain wasn't interested in Takeru romantically. Takeru was her best friend, she couldn't just up and change the way she felt about him. They were completely platonic, and Hikari was comfortable with that. So was Takeru, apparently. Goodness knows he'd had plenty of opportunity to tell her otherwise if he felt differently. They'd known each other since they were four. ~And even if he said so now, I'd turn him down. I don't like him that way. Of course, things would never be the same between us. We couldn't go on being best friends, and we wouldn't be dating...that would be horrible!~  
She had never known Daisuke as more than a casual acquaintance from Tai's soccer team before the second DigiTeam got together, and then after that he came on too strong for her taste. He'd scared her off. ~But,~ she thought, ~if he was to just now start that up, after we've gotten to know each other, I'd probably say yes. He's not a bad guy, and I like him. Maybe even a little in that way. But he'd have to prove himself first.~  
"Miss Kamiya?" Mr. Fujiyama said forcefully, as if it was the second or third time he'd said it.  
"Yes?" Hikari squeaked. She was in for it.  
"Would you please refrain from daydreaming and pay attention?"  
Hikari nodded. "Yes, sir."  
"Now, can you tell me if x plus y minus 37 is congruent with y minus x plus 42?"  
Hikari stood and came up to the blackboard. This was turning out to be a very bad day...  
(A/N: I made up that problem and finally my curiosity got the better of me and I checked to see if it *was* congruent. It's not, for anyone who actually gives a care. ^.^*)  
  
After school, Hikari stuffed the books she'd need for her homework into her backpack and headed for the main entrance. As she passed the computer lab, she saw Daisuke standing in front of one of the computers, his backpack sitting on a chair. He was digging through it, looking for his D3.  
"Hey, Davis," she said.  
He turned around. "Kari! Hey, I'm fixing to go to the Digital World. Want to come?"  
"Isn't T.K. going with you?" Hikari asked, puzzled. She'd been sure that Takeru would.  
"Nah. He told me during math class that he had plans with Matt today."  
She entered the computer lab. "Well...I don't have any plans...let me e-mail Tai on my D-Terminal so he can tell Mom where I am."  
Daisuke blinked as she got her D-Terminal out of her jacket pocket. "You're actually going?"  
"I told you and Yolei earlier that I don't want to go home. I don't have plans. And I'm also kind of curious. Besides, you can't go alone. If anything happens to you--"  
"You're worried about what might happen if I get hurt?"  
"No, I just want to be there so if anything does happen you can't exaggerate."  
He sighed. Why did she always do that? Why did she make it seem like she cared if he lived or died and then pulled the rug right out from under his feet? Why was every small flame of hope extinguished with her next breath?  
She got a reply almost immediately. "He says that he'll have his D-Terminal handy in case something comes up."  
He nodded. He'd located his D3 and held it up to the computer. "DigiPort open!"  
They passed through with no difficulty, and landed in a forest.  
Hikari looked around. "Is it just me, or is it exactly like Yolei predicted?"  
"You might be right, but let's take a look around."  
Hikari shrugged, and zipped up her jacket. The DigiWorld was a bit colder than Earth at that time. "Let's go."  
They wandered aimlessly through the snowy wonderland for an hour or two, talking about stuff they saw, things going on at school and at home. They weren't short on words. Hikari actually found herself enjoying it. Daisuke didn't try to flirt, and she opened up to him a bit more than usual.  
Finally they decided to call it a day and head home. They went back to the TV they'd come out of in the DigiWorld and Daisuke held up his D3. "DigiPort open!"  
Nothing happened, at first. Then an error message appeared on the screen. Hikari bent over and read it. "The computer you are requesting has been turned off. Please try again later."  
"What?" Daisuke cried. "Well, let's try another one!"  
Kari had knelt down and was already fiddling around with the TV, trying to find a help file. "Hey, Davis, it says that you can't use another computer. You have to go back home through the same computer, although you can use a different TV."  
"Well, that sucks!"  
"Let me see...arrrrgh! It says that if someone else was to come after us, like Tai, he would be able to go through his computer, but we couldn't. But let me e-mail him and see if I can get him to go to school and turn on the computer."  
She got her D-Terminal out and had Tai's response within fifteen minutes.  
"Oh, great!"  
"What is it?" Daisuke asked, finally sitting beside her, trying to read over her shoulder.  
"There's a snowstorm going on, and there's no electricity. No one turned our computer off, the power is out! He said that they have the battery radio on and it said not to expect lights until morning. Looks like you and I are stuck here overnight."  
Daisuke groaned. "Great. What are we gonna do?"  
"Sleep, I expect," Hikari snapped. She told Tai to tell their parents not to worry, and to call Daisuke's parents if the phones were working. Fortunately, they were.  
Now, Kari, the last e-mail read, I'll e-mail you as soon as I'm sure your computer is working. Mom and Dad said to be careful, and Davis's parents said the same. Stay warm. I'll talk to you later. --Tai  
Hikari pocketed her D-Terminal. "The first thing to do is find shelter, and then see what we can do about getting a few blankets or something to keep warm."  
"It's not that cold," Daisuke interjected.  
"Not while we're walking, but we'll need to sleep tonight and we'll each need a blanket."  
Daisuke shook his head. "Okay. Hey, I bet that the mountain we passed earlier has some kind of cave opening or something where we can sleep."  
"Let's go have a look..."  
  
Sure enough, about twenty feet up there was a safe hideaway, and it was an easy climb.  
"Great," Hikari said, stretching to her full height, raising her arms. Her fingertips brushed the ceiling. "It's big in here, but the entrance is small. That's good." She took off her backpack and set it in one corner. Daisuke followed suit, and used his for a makeshift chair. "I don't suppose you brought a blanket?"  
"Why would I bring a blanket when I thought I was just going to be here for an hour or so?" Daisuke queried, irritably.  
His irritation made Kari irritated, and she spoke to him in tones that were less than sweet. "Well, we'll know next time to plan ahead for computer failure."  
"I wish our digimon were with us," he complained.  
"Me too, but we have to find blankets," she said, still upset.  
"And where do you plan on looking?" Daisuke said sarcastically. "Are there blanket trees growing anywhere around here?"  
"You've seen a lot of the DigiWorld, you should know it's probably true!"  
Daisuke blinked. "Hey, sorry, didn't mean to upset you."  
She looked down. "It's okay. I shouldn't be so irritable. It's my fault."  
"Let's just say we're both touchy right now, 'kay? I don't think either one of us wants to be here, at least not overnight."  
"Okay," Hikari said. "But I thought that me getting stuck alone with you somewhere was your dream come true."  
"It was, for a while," Daisuke admitted, "But you've made it clear that I don't have a chance with you. Why should I waste my time chasing something that'll never happen?"  
~That doesn't sound like Davis,~ she thought, but pushed it out of her mind. "We still need to find blankets."  
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to go look. Do you suppose our jackets would be enough if we had a fire? I mean, there's enough of a draft for the smoke, and there's plenty of trees right outside--"  
"Probably...but I hate the thought of pulling off branches and wrecking the whole place..."  
"You have a better idea?"  
Hikari bit her lip. "Not really."  
"I'll do it." He stood.  
"Wha--?"  
He put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down on her backpack. "You wait here. That way if some Digimon starts complaining about the trees, you won't have anything to do with it. Just, sit here, and...don't go away." He half-smiled to reassure her.  
She wasn't sure what to say, so she kept quiet. He headed for the entrance. She sighed, watching him leave. She didn't want to be alone, but, at the same time, she had, within the past few minutes, become uncomfortable around him. She hated to hurt him, or anyone else, but he was so persistent!  
No, not anymore. Not since the trouble with the Dark Spores. She had thought it was the distraction of the time, but he had just said outright that he had given up on her.  
And, for some reason, that bothered her.  
She had gotten so used to Daisuke's constant pleading that for it to be gone felt odd, no matter how distracting or irritating it had been at times.  
~Where is this coming from?~ She wondered. ~I can't count the times I've wished he would quit bugging me.~ She remembered what she'd been thinking about earlier that day. ~Maybe...maybe I want him to ask me out? Maybe I like him? No! I can't like him, not after all I've said and done. I've turned him down so many times...but, maybe it's his persistence that attracts me to him...but I can't be attracted to him! I mean, yes, he's good-looking, but, he's not right for me! Arrgh!~  
She dug around in her backpack and found her portable CD player and the book she was reading. Of course, as things always go, the batteries in the CD player were dead, and she only had two chapters left in her book, which she finished quickly.  
She had just decided to reread the book from the beginning when Daisuke came in with more wood than he technically should have been able to carry.  
"Let me help!" Hikari said, letting her book fall to the floor and rushed to his aid. "You have far too much here," she scolded.  
"That's nothing. I think I dropped half of what I started out with."  
Taking half and setting it on the floor, she laughed, and it made her stop and think how many times she had laughed since they had left the school--an awful lot for being in an unpleasant situation with someone she didn't like hanging out with. ~So even though I don't like him that way, he makes me laugh. But so what? T.K. makes me laugh, that doesn't mean he likes me--or vice versa. But, Davis is different. He makes me laugh even when things are bad. He doesn't have to tell jokes or even *try* to be funny or anything--~  
"Kari?"  
Hikari jerked her head up. "Huh?"  
Daisuke sighed. "For the third time, do you have any matches?"  
"Oh...no...but I have a lighter!"  
"Just as good!" Daisuke grinned triumphantly.  
She rummaged around her backpack and finally got it out and handed it to him. "Here."  
He had arranged the firewood and now proceeded to light it. It didn't catch, so he got his school notebook out of his bag and took a sheet of paper and lit it, placing it among the wood which soon caught fire.  
"So...now what?" Hikari asked. "It's too early to go to sleep."  
"I dunknow," he said. "There's not much to do but talk."  
"Well, that's okay. We can do that." Hikari sat against the wall next to him, facing the fire. She noticed the reflection of the fire in his eyes. The golden flecks complimented his chocolate-brown eyes well. Finally he blinked, noticing her staring, and breaking the enchantment.  
"What?"  
She jerked away. "Nothing! Nothing. I just--I mean, I just--nothing."  
He shrugged. "Whatever. So, what do you want to talk about?"  
~How handsome you looked with your eyes like that. And how considerate it was to get wood yourself. And--~ "Uh...well...what's up with T.K.? He hasn't been talking to me much."  
"I know he hasn't. I've been there. And I think it's kind of rude, after all, you guys are best friends and all."  
"I thought you were his best friend now."  
"Well...I am. But a guy can have more than one best friend, ya know? I mean, I think of the whole DigiDestined group--even the older kids--as my closest friends. That includes you and T.K. as much as it does Yolei and Cody, who I've known for years and years."  
"Well--he just--I don't know. He won't talk. Lately every time I call he's got plans with you when I want to do something with him, or you're coming over and he has to clean his room so he can't talk, or he's on his way out the door--if he's there at all."  
"Tell him."  
"What?"  
"You heard me. Tell him you're feeling left out."  
"Well--I hate to cut in on whatever it is you're doing with him."  
"You guys have known each other a lot longer than I've known him. I have Yolei and Cody, so it's not like it would kill me to not spend so much time with him."  
Hikari hung her head. "I guess..."  
"What? There's something bothering you." If there was one thing to be said for Daisuke, it was that he knew people. He may not have been the smartest guy around, but he could tell things about people intuitively--and Hikari knew it. "Is there something about T.K.? Something I should know? Are things...changing, between you two?"  
Hikari rolled her eyes. "Yeah. We're growing apart."  
"I wouldn't say that just because he's been busy for a few weeks. And that's not what I meant. I meant, are you...you know, do you feel...*that* way...about T.K.?"  
"No. At least, I don't. I don't think he does. In fact, I hope he doesn't."  
Daisuke nodded. "Then there's no reason you can't talk to him as soon as we get back. First thing at school tomorrow."  
"I guess. But...there's something else."  
"Something else in the way?"  
"No, but it's something I need to sort out."  
"Want to talk about it?"  
"Not now. Hey..."  
"Yeah?" Daisuke queried.  
"What did you mean earlier by not wasting your time on something that'll never happen?"  
"I thought I made myself perfectly clear."  
"Well, it sounded like you were just giving up. It didn't sound like you at all. I've never known you to give up on anything."  
"That's a Motomiya thing. My whole family is like that. And, I just meant that you have made it perfectly clear where you and I stand. You're not going to change your mind anytime soon. So even if it's a long, long time before I get over it, I can at least leave you alone to go on and do whatever you want to."  
~Actually, I *might* change my mind...~ "Oh." Hikari shifted so that she could stare at the fire instead of watching him. Not that she minded watching him, but she wanted to clear her thoughts instead of studying his features.  
Daisuke took her act of not looking at him as a sign that she had taken it the wrong way. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just thought you oughta know."  
"That's okay."  
He leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. "It doesn't mean that I care any less right now, if that means anything to you. It just means that I understand that you don't want my care."  
Her stomach growled loudly, and she looked at her watch. Six. No wonder she was feeling hungry. Perfect change of subject. "Do you have anything to eat?"  
"Um...maybe. Lemme look."  
"Me too." They both reached for their backpacks and started digging. Between them they came up with half a candy bar, a forgotten and unopened bottle of water, and some lime Tic Tacs.  
"Uh..." Daisuke sweatdropped.  
"Well...if it wasn't the middle of winter, we could go look for fruit..."  
"If it wasn't the middle of winter, there wouldn't have been a storm, and the computer would be working, and we could be home eating real food! Besides, it's not like we know what's not poisonous."  
Hikari shrugged. "I guess you're right. So, do we split your candy bar?"  
"Yeah. And we drink all the water we want. We can melt snow after that."  
She nodded, already breaking the candy bar in half. She gave him first choice of the two pieces that weren't *quite* equal, and he left her the one that was the slightest smidgen bigger.  
"Wonderful meal," she joked. "You're such a great chef, Davis!"  
"Well, I'm no Matt, but I do what I can," he said, faking a bow.  
She laughed at his charade, and remembered again the strange new feelings that had dominated most of her afternoon, and, so far, all of her evening. They went on talking for most of the evening, nothing of great importance, but interesting to them both. She laughed a lot.  
Finally, it got to be ten o'clock, and they decided to try and get some sleep. Daisuke was about to curl up in his own corner when she stopped him. "Hey, I read once how to make blankets keep you twice as warm. I think we could do the same thing with our jackets."  
"How?"  
She blushed. "Well, two people sleep next to each other, back-to-back, and put both blankets on top." (A/N: Don't tell me I'm smart for figuring this out, I read it in a book. ^_^*)  
He tilted his head. "That makes a lot of sense. Okay." He pulled his backpack over and used it for a pillow. He took off his jacket and held it, laying down. "Well...come on."  
She took off her jacket, too, and laid down next to him, back to him, head on her backpack. They spent several minutes arranging the jackets as best they could, but finally settled down comfortably.  
Hikari couldn't believe how close she was to him, and how comfortable she was with it. In fact, it had been her idea. ~What is going on with me?~  
She thought he would fall asleep pretty quickly, but snoring never kicked in, and he shifted positions quite a bit, so she assumed he was awake. Not that she was doing any better. The thought occurred to her that maybe they were both nervous about disturbing the other. Finally she tried not trying to go to sleep, and focused on her thoughts instead of focusing on not focusing on them. She was asleep in minutes.  
  
In the morning, Daisuke woke first, and knew it. He could feel Hikari breathing softly, too softly to be awake. In fact, he could feel her breath on his neck.  
Wait a minute. If her breath was on his neck, that meant she was facing him, and he had his back to her. She'd moved during the night.  
He held perfectly still, not wanting to wake her. Slowly, he became aware of just where she was. She was snuggled against him, or rather, his back, and had one arm slung over him, hand on his chest.  
Of course, he was almost freaking out. ~This isn't right! Does she know what she's doing? I bet she isn't doing it on purpose. It's cold in here now, it had to have been colder sometime last night. And the fire's out. I bet she got really cold. That's all.~ He tried to reason it away, but her hand still sat there oh-so-flagrantly on his chest. Not that she was doing anything with it. It was just...there. But it still kind of scared him.  
Finally, after a few minutes that seemed to take years, Hikari woke.  
"Mmm..." she sighed, and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, and her surroundings hit her like a ton of bricks. "Ahh!" She jerked away from Daisuke for the second time in as many days. "Sorry! I--I didn't mean--I--I...sorry."  
He sat up and turned to face her. "You had me going there for a minute. I thought maybe you--but then, I figured, it must have been cold, or something..."  
Hikari nodded, relief filling her as a decent excuse came. "Yeah, it probably was pretty cold. I...I don't remember..."  
"Don't worry about it."  
She nodded, at first...but... "Davis...I am kind of worried about it."  
"What for?"  
"I...I think...remember last night I said I had something to sort through?"  
"Uh...yeah."  
Hikari moved closer to him. "I...I was referring to...I think that my...the way I think of...I feel differently about...about..."  
"About what? You said things between you and T.K. haven't changed."  
"Not me and T.K.. Me and you."  
Daisuke blinked. "Excuse me?"  
"I...I...something's changed." She looked away. ~Oh great, I've really done it now...~  
"You mean after all this time, I finally give up, and *now* it turns out if I just would've waited a few more weeks all my persistence woulda paid off anyway? Man, they were so right when they said stuff never works like they tell you it will..."  
"No, Davis. If you would have kept it up, nothing would have happened. I think...I think this has something to do with the fact that you gave up."  
"But...giving up is bad..."  
"Not always...it wasn't so much giving up as letting go. And when you let go...when you were willing to do without to make someone else happy...that...I...I..."  
"Are you trying to say that you...like me, now?"  
"I've always liked you, Davis. It's *how* I liked you that makes a difference. And, yes, that's what I'm *trying* to say. I'm not doing so well, huh?"  
Daisuke blinked again. "Well...I got the message...if that's what you mean..."  
Suddenly, Hikari's D-Terminal beeped.  
"That's probably Tai," Hikari squeaked, and picked up her D-Terminal and opened it to read the message.  
Kari, the lights are still out. The school's repair work should be done sometime soon, though--and they've canceled school. I'll be able to get in and get you in an hour or two. I'll keep you posted. --Tai  
"So we've got another hour," Daisuke said.  
"You mean we're stuck for another hour."  
"No, I mean we've got one more hour to ourselves. And I think we need it."  
Hikari blushed.  
"So, why this, all of a sudden, out of the blue--"  
"It's not as out-of-the-blue as you think, Davis...I just...I...I've kind of liked you, a little, for a   
while. And I never liked T.K. in that way."  
"But what about all the times you turned me down? That hurt, ya know..."  
Hikari blushed again and looked away. "And I'm sorry. You were coming on too strong--not that it's any excuse for hurting you. I didn't mean to hurt you."  
Daisuke sighed deeply. "You know what? It's...it's okay. I still care about you too much to be mad at you. And, ya know, I *was* kind of a jerk..."  
"No. No, you weren't. I was. I should have looked beyond your persistence and tried to see what you were really saying. That you cared about me." Hikari's cheeks were becoming redder by the second, and finally, she closed her eyes and turned away, embarrassed. ~Even though he isn't mad at me, there's no way he could like me.~ Hikari was quite sure of that.  
Until she felt his gentle touch on her shoulder, and his kiss on her cheek. "I'm telling you, I still care," he whispered in her ear. "It's okay."  
And, as he wrapped his arms around her, she broke into tears. He cradled her, allowing for things to sink in.  
And the utterly moving moment was ruined by Hikari's D-Terminal going off. She sniffled, wiped her eyes, and gently pulled herself away from him. She picked it up off the floor and read the last message.  
Problem solved! The electricity's back on, and I'm waiting at the computer. Hurry up, you two! --Tai  
Hikari held it for Daisuke to read, and he nodded. "Well, we ought to hurry."  
She looked up, speaking hesitantly. "So--things between us--are--"  
He held up his hand. "Let me say it. Kari, do you wanna be my girlfriend? Because, y'know, I would love for you--"  
He was cut off by a kiss, which shocked him, but after a few seconds he responded, kissing back.  
"Does that answer you?" she asked after she pulled back.  
"Wha...?" he tried, still in shock.  
Smiling, she stood and hauled him to his feet, and slipped on her jacket and backpack. He haltingly mimicked her motions with a dazed expression.  
"Come on," she laughed, "We shouldn't keep Tai waiting. And I want to tell him the good news."  
He simply nodded blankly.  
  
When they found the closest TV, Hikari grabbed his hand and held out her D-3. "DigiPort open!" she cried.  
They went through the portal, reappearing in the computer lab. The jolt seemed to have jump-started Daisuke, because the first thing he did was start talking to Taichi. "Hey, Tai, guess what! Your sister and me...we...well, she's my girlfriend now!"  
Taichi blinked. "Kari?"  
Her blush told him what he needed to know, and her nod reaffirmed it. "Yeah, it's true."  
"But...I thought you...nevermind."  
"What? That I hated Davis? Or that I liked T.K.? Neither one could be further from the truth."  
Taichi nodded. "Whatever makes you happy. By the way, T.K. called last night, and when I told him what I'd heard from you, he e-mailed me all night to keep asking if I'd heard anything. Finally I told him that if he kept filling my inbox, I wouldn't be *able* to hear anything from you."  
Hikari blinked. "He called?"  
"Yeah, he said something about wanting to go hang out at the mall, said he felt bad about ignoring you lately. I told him you'd call as soon as you got home."  
Hikari glomped Daisuke. "You were right! We're still friends! And I've gotta tell him about you and me! Tai, let's hurry home!"  
Taichi shrugged, shutting down the computer. "Fine by me. I have a day off and I got entirely too little sleep last night, so let's go."  
  
At the Kamiya's apartment, Hikari insisted that Daisuke come in and stay for a while. The Kamiya parents were out, so Daisuke called his mom to say he was okay, and that he was hanging out there for a while. Taichi announced that he was going to take a nap, and then Hikari called Takeru.  
"Moshi, moshi, Takaishi residence. This is T.K.."  
"Hi! It's Kari--"  
"Hey! Are you and Davis okay? I heard you had some computer problems--"  
"Yeah, we're fine. He's here now. Guess what?"  
"I dunknow--"  
"I'll let him tell you!" Hikari shoved the phone into Daisuke's hand and gave him the nod that meant he was supposed to tell Takeru that they were going out.  
"Davis?"  
Daisuke put the phone to his ear. "T.K.? Hey."  
"Hey."  
"I got a girlfriend..."  
"No kidding? Who?"  
Daisuke grinned. "Kari."  
Takeru burst into laughter. "Kari? Are you kidding?"  
Daisuke sweatdropped. "No, man, I'm not...you want her to tell you?"  
"Yeah, right!" Takeru started howling again. Daisuke passed the phone back to Hikari.  
Hikari sighed. "Takeru, would you like to hang out at the mall with me and my boyfriend?"  
Takeru quit laughing. "Your what?"  
"My boyfriend. Davis."  
"He...wasn't...joking?"  
"Nope."  
"And...you two are..."  
"He's not a half-bad kisser."  
Takeru gulped. "Are you, like, *on* anything, Kari? And you're sure you're not joking?"  
Hikari laughed. "I'm perfectly sane, I'm not on anything, and I'm most certainly not kidding."  
"You're serious?"  
"For the third time, I am perfectly serious!"  
There was a pause. Finally Takeru spoke. "Well, it's about time!"  
Hikari frowned. "What?"  
"I knew you were keeping something secret! I figured you had a crush on someone. I never thought it was my best friend, but, hey, life pulls things like that. This is great!"  
Hikari laughed, half-sighing in relief. He *didn't* like her that way! "Yeah, we'll make a great trio! So do you wanna hang at the mall or not?"  
Takeru paused. "Umm...meetcha in thirty minutes?"  
"Sure. Davis and I will be there."  
"Right. 'Bye."  
"Bye." Hikari hung up the phone and looked at Daisuke. "Well, are you ready to go? He's gonna be there in thirty minutes."  
Daisuke grinned broadly. "I'm ready for anything, now that I've got you."  
  
  
A/N: Awwww! Daikari! :-) This makes three fics that have Daikari that I've posted. ("Deception" and "Constant Changes".) Compared to *one* with Takari hints. (I wrote one blatant Takari--but it sucked, so I never posted it here.)  
Something I have noticed: Why is it that stories involving Kari (Takaris most often) often have an accident in them? Usually a fatal accident at that? I have read: (To the authors of these, I mean no offense, I am simply making a point. That's why I mention no titles and no authors. I'm not trying to rip off your stories.) 1. A Kekari where Kari got hit by a car and died. 2. A Tai/Kari sibling fic where they were in a wreck, Kari walked away, Tai was in the hospital for a while. 3. A Daikari where they were in a wreck and Kari died. 4. A Takari where Kari fell off a cliff, T.K. got her to a hospital, and she died. 5. A Takari where they're in a wreck, T.K. walks away, but she's comatose. The heart monitor goes flatline, he admits he loves her, and she revives. 6. A Takari where T.K. was beaten up by gang members from a basketball team he beat and then was barely able to move until he got up and kissed Kari. 7. A Takari (see, I DO read them!) where they were in a wreck and T.K. died. 8. A Joe/Kari (Jari? I dunknow.) fic where Joe was killed by a gang member. I mean, is Kari some kind of heartache magnet? Why do authors enjoy causing her pain? ^.^** Oh well. 


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